Song · Boys Don't Cry
“I Wanna Be a Cowboy” by Boys Don't Cry
From the album Boys Don’t Cry (1986)
“I Wanna Be a Cowboy” by Boys Don't Cry appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1988 and 1998. It was first released in 1986 on the album Boys Don’t Cry. Its best result is #262 on the KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,547 alternative song of all time.
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Video from YouTube (BoysDontCryVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"I Wanna Be a Cowboy" handed the British new wave band Boys Don't Cry the one real hit of their career. Four of the members, Brian Chatton, Nick Richards, Nico Ramsden and Jeff Seopardie, wrote it, and it arrived in July 1985, the first single of new material to come off their self-titled debut, an album that mixed fresh songs with several of their earlier singles. Heidi Lea supplies the female vocals.
It went all the way to number one in New Zealand, reached number 4 in Australia and 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, yet back home in the UK it limped to number 77. The video brought in a ringer: Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 350 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) | 501 |
| 1998 | 262 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) | 488 |
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